Bucchero ware

bucchero ware, Etruscan earthenware pottery common in pre-Roman Italy chiefly between about the 7th and early 5th century bc. Characteristically, the ware is black, sometimes gray, and often shiny from polishing. The colour was achieved by firing in an atmosphere charged with carbon monoxide instead of oxygen. This is known as a reducing firing, and it converts the red of the clay, due to the presence of iron oxide, to the typical bucchero colours. Although opinions vary about the precise times at which certain features of bucchero appeared, there is a scholarly consensus about the overall development of the ware. The ... (100 of 310 words)